Drug Courts

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Juvenile drug court programs provide the intensive judicial intervention and intensive community supervision of juveniles involved in substance abuse that is not generally available through the traditional juvenile court process.

With the growing prevalence of substance abuse among juveniles and the
complexity of their treatment, which must involve both the child and his
or her living environment, the traditional juvenile justice process may
be unable to deal effectively with the whole problem that leads
juveniles to commit drug offenses.

The juvenile drug court approach is designed to fill this gap by
providing immediate and continuous court intervention in the lives of
children using drugs or involved in family situations in which substance
addiction is present. This intervention includes requiring the child,
and often the family, to begin treatment, submit to frequent drug
testing, appear at regular and frequent court status hearings, and
comply with other court conditions geared to accountability,
rehabilitation, long-term sobriety, and cessation of criminal activity.

The enhancements introduced by the juvenile drug court process include:

Immediate intervention by the court and continuous
supervision by the judge of the progress of the juvenile and his or her
family;

The development of a program of treatment and rehabilitation services that addresses family problems, not simply the child's;

Immediate response by the court to the child's needs and
situation, as well as to noncompliance by either the child or the
family with the court's program conditions; and

Judicial leadership that brings together schools,
treatment resources, and other community agencies to achieve the drug
court's goals.1

California's first juvenile drug court began in Tulare County
in 1995. Today there are forty-eight juvenile drug courts in
California.